High-affinity monoclonal antibodies that target Burkholderia Polysaccharide

The purpose of this contract is to develop high affinity antibodies that are specific to Burkholderia surface expressed polysaccharides. These monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) can then be used to develop diagnostics and therapeutics for melioidosis and glanders; two infectious diseases caused by the Tier 1 biothreats Burkholderia pseudomallei and mallei, respectively. The SBIR funded work to date developed and characterized new and existing antibodies that we anticipate will lead to substantial advancements in the diagnosis and treatment of melioidosis and glanders. A number of lead mAbs studied during Phase I and II have been integrated into a lateral flow immunochromatographic assay (LFI) for the rapid detection of B. pseudomallei and mallei capsular polysaccharide (CPS). This project is a collaborative effort with InBios International (Seattle WA); a manufacturer of FDA approved rapid diagnostic tests for infectious diseases. CPS is a very encouraging target that can be used to diagnose acute melioidosis and glanders infections. However, the current LFI that was recently developed appears to lack the sensitivity needed to detect CPS in a significant number of patient samples. The goal of this enhancement period is to develop sensitive assays to determine the concentration of CPS within melioidosis patient samples (serum and urine).